Factors Attributing to Career Choice among Teacher Candidates

Abstract

The attractiveness of teaching profession and teaching, the low number of people entering training, and the need to replace those who leave the profession and those who are about to retire have been a major challenge for society for years. One of the key conditions for the functioning of the education system, and in particular of primary schools, is the successful careers of pupils during their education and consequently the education and training of the next generation of professionals with the right personalities. In order to meet societal expectations, it is necessary to understand students’ motivations for career choice. The aim of our study is to explore the perceptions of teacher candidates about the profession and their motivations for choosing this career. In order to provide a framework for the study, the career choice motivations of young people studying in higher education both in Hungary and internationally, and the factors related to the career choice of primary school teacher candidates in this context are briefly described. Then, the career commitment of teacher candidates based on an online questionnaire survey conducted in 2022 was analysed. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis are used in the data analysis. In addition, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to explore the internal structure of the items. Looking at the motivational factors, our main findings are that the most influential motivation to enter a teaching career is altruistic, i.e. the desire to help others as an educator and to contribute to the shaping of children’s personalities. Student responses also revealed that a positive attitude towards the chosen profession is an important aspect. The results show that the influence of external motives (family, peers, teachers) is less significant.